Improvement in cultivators



G. BEECHING.

Gvultivator.

- Patented Oct.- 17, 1848.

--@IUU @Namen STATES PATENT Ormes..

GEO. BEEOHING, OF AUGUSTA, NEW YORK.

IMPRovi-:M ENT IN ouL'rlvAroRs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5,859, dated October17, 1848.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BEEGHING, of Augusta, in the county of Oneidaand-State of New York, have invented certain new and use fulImprovements in Oultivators, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings ofthe saine, making part of this specication, of which- Figure l is a topview, and Fig. 2 a side elevation.

The same letters'in the differentiigures refer to corresponding parts.

The frame of myim proved cultivator is coinposed of two central parallelpieces of scant-l ling, A A, to the outside of which the oblique piecesA A are joined by bolts or otherwise at their front ends and by thetranverse piece A2 at their rear ends. lo give increased rigidity to theframe the transverse slot A3 is passed through near the middle of thetimbers in suitable mortises made for that purpose,

and the front ends of the central pieces are joined by the bent stapleor U-shaped piece of iron B, bolted to the inner sides of the timbers.The block A4 is for the purpose of holding the center tooth, and issecured between the middle timbers by bolts or otherwise.

Between the front ends of the middle tim bers the wheel C is placed. Itsjournals turn in suitable bearin gs formed in the upper ends ot' theadjustable standards c c. This wheel is for the purpose of gaging thedepth of the furrow and sustaining the weight of thc chains orwhifetrees by which the beasts of the draft may be harnessed to thecultivator. lWhen the wheel is adjusted so as to allow the teeth to cutthe required depth of furrow it is secured in such position by means ofthe clampscrews c2 c2. On the front of the iron B a projecting bar, B',is secured, in which a vertical range of holes are made for the purposeof varying the point of draft. On the sides of this iron rectangularguide-grooves are formed, in which the standards c slide, and in whichthey are held by the clamp-screws c2 c2. i

To the rear end ot' the frame the two pairs of handles E E and F F aresecured in any suitable way. The handles E E are made and arranged inthe usual manner; but thelower handlesare placed near the ground, andare spread sufciently far apart to be out of the way of the of nuts e,which tit upon 'the upper ends of the shanks, which protrude through theframe, the shanks having screws formed on them corresponding to thescrews of the nuts. The teeth are composed of two principal parts-- theshanks or standards and the shares or cutters. The cutters are formed ofthin pieces of steel, nearly square, having two of their adjacent sidesslightly convex. These are to form the cutting-edges, and the angleformed by the meeting of these curved sides is the front or point of thetooth. The length of the transverse diagonal line of the cutter equalsthe distance from center to center of the furrows, so that in theirprogress the teeth cut the whole area of the ground passed ,over by thecultivator.

The shanks are made of a stout bar of wrought-iron, the upper ends beingthe thickest, and having a collar formedy on them to abut against theunderside of the frame-timbers for the purpose of bracing them. Theygradually taper toward the lower end, Where they are bent round, so asto bring the foot. which 'is ilattened out, into nearlya horizontalposition, the toe point being alittle the lowest. The front edges andpoint of the foot are ftapered down to a feather-edge, the thickest partbeing in the line of the longitudinal diagonal ot' the cutter or share,forming a ridge, which is a continuation of the front corner of theshank, and the slopingsides of the foot are continuations of the obliquesides of the front of the same. To the under side of the foot thusformed the steel cutter is welded firmly and then tempered. Thiscompletes the lower end or share of the tooth. On the upper end ofthetooth a tenen is formed, which is passed through a corresponding mortisemade in the frame. On the upper end of this tenon ascrew is cut and anut tted thereon for the purpose of securing the tooth rmly in theframe.

This implement is designed to be used as a subsoil-eultivaior only wherethe surface soil has been previously plowed up and pulverized. In thisease the superstratum ot'ers but little resistance to the progress otthe standards through it, and the cross-section of the cutters being sosmall,they are drawn through the substratum with comparatively littleforce, two horses being for this purpose quite sufficient, whereas fourarc required to break up the snbsoil by means of any other knownimplement. By the action of this implement the subsoil is effeetuallydisrupted and scartied at the same time that it is neither inverted normuch displaced, which in many cases is a matter ofmuoh importance,particularly where the soil is thin and it-is desired to kyep it,together with the manure mixed with it, near the surface, but at thesame time stir up the subsoil to permit the roots of plants topenetratelbeyoud the reach of drought. By altering the gage of the depthot the furrow this implement may be used as a surface-cultivator, forwhich purpose it is well adapted, as the teeth are arranged to plowparallel equidistant furrows and cutover and loosen every part of theground passed over, thus effectually cutting up the weeds and leaving`the soil in excellent condition to receive the seed.

The steel cutter or share, being of tempered steel, is much harder thanthe iron of the foot to which it is welded. The iron therefore wearsaway much the faster, which keeps the cutter constantly sharp, and thusrendering it selfsharpening.

l do not claim to be the inventor of the subsoil plow, nor ofthemany-toothed cultivator, nor of the wheeled and handled eultivator orplow, nor of the triangular cultivator-frame; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The construction ot' quadrangnlar teeth for eultivators, as describedand represented.

2. The construction of the U-shaped iron brace, having a clevis formed0n its front and two vertical transverse grooves on its sides, ascombined with the parallel timbers A A of the frame and the adjustivestandards c c.

3. The extra handles F F for raising the cultivator in turning at theend of the furrow or going over stones, Src., as described.

GEORGE BEECHING;

Witnesses:

LEVI T. MARSHALL, GEORGE T. HALL.

